Favourite New Royal Hat: April 2019

Racing, Easter, birthday and abdication events in April brought us a number of new hats. Before we are completely distracted by Royal Ascot, we’re going to take a minute and look back two months to choose our favourite.

Please click on each caption or photo link to jump to original feature posts with additional views, information and discussion on each hat. Here are the eight hats we most admired in April, shown in the order they were worn:

This poll will remain open until next Monday, June 17 at midnight GMT and we’ll peruse the results after Ascot. As usual, each computer or mobile device can vote twice per day for as many hats as you wish. Happy Voting!

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9 thoughts on “Favourite New Royal Hat: April 2019”

This vote has been interesting for me as I tend to vote for drama, color and youth. But, lately, I’ve learned a lot from HQ and the subtleties some of these hats have that often get overlooked (especially by me). Sometimes simple is best and 3 designs showcase that this month, and the more I look at them (and vote for them), the more I fall in love with the design. Princess Anne, Princess Benedickte and Empress Masako get my votes.

I hate not to vote for Benedikte, my favourite Senior Royal Stylista, but this group give stiff competition. Loved both Zara’s and Catherine’s, with strong runners up in HM HIM and (good heavens!) the Princess Royal! Has a 50’s vibe to it, methinks.

HatQueen, you don’t have a listing for either percher or beret under your glossary of hat types. The line between these two seems blurry. I think of perchers as smaller, more embellished formed berets. Would you agree, or would you say that they are entirely different styles?

Good question. Perchers are hats that perch on the side of the head- many of them are cocktail hats but ‘percher’ seems to be a term more widely used by the millinery industry. Perchers can have bases shaped like a beret, a button (round) or a teardrop. Some of the beret-base perchers are small, as you said, but others, like the one Kate is wearing above, are larger. So, I’m afraid there’s no consistent rules here!

To add even more confusion, I’ve also started using the term ‘hugger’ for hats such as Autumn’s above, that hug the side of the head.